Apparatus for making traffic strips, including means for dispensing glass spheres and other materials onto painted strips



APPARATUS FOR MAKINO TRAFFIC STRIPS. INCLUDING MEANS FOR DISPENSING GLASS SPHERES AND OTHER MATERIALS ONTO PAINTED STRIPS Filed Sept. 22. 1949 FIG.

M O.'HUCK 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ORNEYS Oct. 19, 1954 Q HUCK APPARATUS FOR MAKING TRAFFIC STRIPS, INCLUDING MEANS FOR DISPENSING GLASS SPHERES AND OTHER MATERIALS ONTO PAINTED STRIPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 22, 1949 Patented Oct. 19, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Marion 0. Huck, Jacksonville, Fla, assignor to M. 0. Buck & Company, Jacksonville, Fla., a corporation of Florida Application September 22, 1949, Serial No. 117,222

7 Claims. 1

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for making tranic strips or for making surface lines or markings including an improved device for distributing finely divided materials such as glass spheres onto painted strips or markings.

Various types of apparatus have been developed for painting lines on roads and highways, such as center lines, lane-marking lines, parking borders and various other road and highway markings, such lines usually being in white paint or in a yellowish-orange paint.

Some of the apparatus previously developed have included means for applying the painted strips to the highway or road and means for distributing finely divided materials onto the paint which adhere thereto and provide a reflecting or glowing surface which is particularly useful for night driving. Some of the roadmarking apparatus, however, are very complicated and expensive so that in some cases it is not practical for a small highway department to own such an apparatus. One of the compli-' cations relates particularly to the means for distributing the finely divided material onto the painted strips applied to the surface. One such appaartus, for example, includes a grooved roller driven by an intermeshing gear system for supplying the finely divided solid material to the painted strip.

Apparatus of this type is too expensive to begin with, too complicated to be maintained by ordinary mechanics, and too expensive to maintain.

The primary object, therefore, of the present invention is to provide a simplified form of apparatus which is inexpensive, easy and simple to operate and maintain.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved device for distributing glass spheres or other light-reflecting materials onto the painted strip formed by the surface-marking apparatus.

Accordingly, an important feature of my invention comprises a surface-marking apparatus of the type including means for applying a strip of paint or other suitable binder material in fluid form to the surface to be marked as the apparatus is moved thereo-ver, said apparatus including a device for distributing fine glass spheres or other equivalent light-reflecting finely divided solid material onto the painted strip as the apparatus is moved along over the surface being marked, and mechanism for simultaneously controlling the means for applying 2 paint or binder and the device for distributing granular material. The apparatus is advantageously a portable apparatus, the elements of which are carried on two or more wheels, which is moved along over the surface to be marked by its own power, by a motor vehicle, or by hand.

An important feature of my invention resides in the structure of the device for distributing the fine glass spheres or equivalent material, such device including a hopper for a body of the material, a slot along the bottom of the hopper into which the material flows, a variable closure means for the slot, means normally biasing the closure means to its closed position, means adapted to utilize a motive force such as air pressure for opening the closure means, and means for setting the closure means for a given speed of the apparatus. The means for actuating the closure means to open position is advantageously arranged to be actuated simultaneously with the operation of the paint-spraying-or-applying means, so that both are actuated at the same time when it is desired to start the apparatus.

My invention includes other features, objects and advantages which will be described more in detail hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a portable surface-marking apparatus embodying the features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a broken side elevational View looking from the right in Fig. 1 and showing the device for distributing finely divided light-reflecting solid materials.

Fig. 3 is a view of the device shown in Fig. 2 as taken looking from the back in Fig. 1, with parts broken away and other parts shown in section.

Fig. l is a broken detailed view of part of the device shown in Figs. 2 and 3 as viewed from the left in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a broken vertical sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a broken detailed sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a broken vie'w partly in section showing the detailed arrangement of the control mechanism for supplying fluid binder or paint to the paint applying means.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the apparatus comprises a frame or chassis It supported by pneumatic tired wheels l2. The apparatus may be pulled over the surface to be marked by a hitch, not shown, or pushed or guided by a handle 54 at the rear of the apparatus and attached to the frame [0. The frame carries a motor 13 which drives an air compressor [8 and which may be utilized by suitable conventional means, not shown, for propelling the apparatus over the surface to be marked.

Other elements carried on the frame NJ include an air cylinder for holding the supply of air under pressure, a paint container 22 and a container 24 for granular material, such as glass spheres. Air is supplied from the comprescr I8 to the air cylinder 20 through a line 26 containing the usual non-return valve and pressure controlled cutout, not shown.

The granular material is charged into the container 24 by simply raising the hinged cover 28 and dumping in one or more bags of such material. The container 24 is connected to a distributor device shown generally at 30 by means of a pipe 32, the pipe 32 permitting free flow of the granular material into the hopper portion of the distributor device 30.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 also includes a suitable conventional spraying means 34 in front of the dispenser 30 for spraying paint or other fluid binder material onto the surface to be marked, that is, to apply a strip of paint four to six inches wide, or wider, along the highway or other surface used by motor vehicles. Paint is supplied from the air-tight paint container 22 through a pipe connection 36, through a control mechanism 38 and a pipe 48, to the paint sprayer 34. Air pressure is maintained as desired on the paint container 22 by means of a valved line 4| connected with the air pressure cylinder 20.

Mechanism is provided for simultaneously placing in operation the paint sprayer 34 and the distributor 30 for granular material, this mechanism comprises means for supplying air from the air cylinder 20, including a 3-way control valve 42 connected by a pipe to the cylinder 20, by a. branch pipe 44 to the control 38 and by a branch pipe 46 to a pressure control piston cylinder 48 for operating the dispenser 30 to supply granular material onto the wet paint applied to the surface by the paint sprayer 34.

The opening of the valve 42 simultaneously operates the cylinder 48 and control 38. The air supplied through the line 44 to the control 33 may operate any suitable conventional mechanism included in the control, comprising, for example, a pressure actuated spring return valve 31 (Fig. '7) for permitting the flow of paint from the line 36 through the line 40 and to the paint sprayer 34. At the same time the mechanism 38 includes a pipe 39 and a throttle valve 4| connected into the pipe 44 for delivering the requisite amount of air through a connecting line 50 to the paint sprayer 34 for atomizing the paint and spreading it to the required line width on the surface being marked. The spring return valve 31, as shown in Fig. '1, may be provided with a reciprocable valve stem 43 carrying a piston in an air cylinder 41, the valve being biased to closed position by a spring :49 located in the cylinder 41. up in pipe 44 and cylinder 4'], the piston 45 and stem 43 are forced down opening valve '31 and permitting paint to flow to the sprayer 34. The correct amount of air to atomize the paint is obtained by adjusting the throttle valve 41.

When air pressure is built LII The sprayer 34 is adjusted in a conventional way to control the rate of paint flow according to the speed of the apparatus along the road or surface being marked. Similarly, the air jet in the sprayer 34 is controlled to properly proportion the air to obtain the desired spray characteristics. When the valve 42 is open the control 38 is operating and the requisite amount of air is continuously bled through the pipe to the sprayer 34. However, air pressure in the pipe 46 merely operates a piston in the cylinder 48 as explained more in detail hereinafter.

The device 30 for distributing granular material as shown in detail in Figs. 2 to 6, comprises a hopper portion 52 having a tight cover plate 54 into which the pipe 32 is connected for the flow of granular material from the container 24, the hopper having an elongated narrow discharge passageway 56 extending across the lower portion of the hopper and having a length approximating the greatest width of marking line to be made by the apparatus. The structure of the hopper, illustrated in the form of a casting, is shown more in detail in Fig. 5

in which it will be seen that the passageway 56 has a pair of opposite straight vertical walls, one of which extends substantially below the other to provide a cutout right-angle shaped portion for receiving a rotary flow control member 56, D-shaped in cross-section and somewhat wider from its flat side 59 through its axis than the length of its diameter.

The rotary flow control member 58 a part of a shaft integrally includes at its ends spindle or shaft members 60 and GI, mounted in bearings 62 and 63 at opposite ends of the passageway 56, the bearings 62 and 63 being bolted to the lower portion of the hopper 52 by the stud bolts shown in the drawings.

Figs. 2, 3 and 5 show the position of the control member 58 in its closed position with its upper longitudinal corner engaging a rubber insert 64, Fig. 5, mounted lengthwise in a slot in the longer side wall of the passageway 56. Other suitable materials than rubber may be used to provide the stop and flexible engaging means 64. The arced surface of the member 58 is engaged by a felt wiper 65 mounted in a lengthwise slot in the horizontal surface of the casting of the hopper adjacent to the passageway 56. The felt material 65 prevents the flow of the granular material 66 around the arced surface of the control member 58.

When the control member 58 is rotated in a clockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 5, granular material flows over the upper corner and drops into an oblong and tapered hopper-like metal distributor 61 having a long narrow opening 68 through which the granular material falls directly onto the wet paint or binder material applied to the roadway by the sprayer 34. The lengthwise dimension of the slot or opening 68 is crosswise of the marker of wet binder or paint and is adapted to-be of a width closely approximating that of the marker. The hopper-shaped member 6'! is removably attached to the lower portion of the bearing members 62 and 63 so that it may be replaced by a similar device having a different length of openings 58 according to the width of the marker to be made.

The hopper-shaped distributor member 67 is advantageously sufficiently long to extend comparatively close to the surface of the road being marked, so that it acts as a wind shield and at the same time facilitates an even distribution of the granular material onto the wet marker.

The relative diameters of the spindles 60 and 64 with respect to the diameter of the member 58 is preferably that shown in Fig. 3 and the ends of the section 5.8 beyond the flat surface 59 are preferably cylindrical and engage felt or other packings 69 which prevent entry of any of the granular material into the portions of the bearings 62 and 63 which carry the spindles 50 and GI. In any case the lower portions of the bearings 62, 63, are open as at to permit any granular material entering to flow out without damaging the spindles or bearing linings.

The projecting end of the spindle 60 has a flattened surface or other key means, and carries an arm or lever H, the outer end of which is connected by a pin to a piston rod 72 extending into the cylinder 48. The piston rod 12 as shown in 2 .has at its upper end a piston 13 engaged by a spring 14 extending around the piston rod 12 between the piston and the bottom wall of the cylinder 48. The spring 14, therefore, normally biases the piston to its upper position which corresponds to the closed position for the rotary member 58. These relationships are indicated in Fig. .2 of the drawings in which some of the parts .are shown in dotted lines. When air is admitted to the cylinder 48 through the line 56, the piston i3 is pushed downwardly against the action of spring l4, thereby rotating the spindle Si] is a clockwise direction as seen in Figs. 2 and 5, to permit flow of granular material 65 into the distributor 61.

The structure of the cylinder 43 is not material to the invention, but as shown in Fig. 2 is comprised of a cylinder wall held between upper and lower flanges by means .of bolts, in a conventional manner, the lower flange including an integral bracket 15 bolted to the hopper 52.

The degree of opening of the closure means 58 for the passageway 56 and the degree of rotation in a clockwise direction of the rotary closure member 58 controlled and adjusted by the parts connected to the portion of the spindle ti which extends to the left of the hopper t2, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. A control and indicator arm 16 is fixed to the end of the spindle Bl by means of a flat surface on the spindle fitting into a similar surface in the bore of the arm 16. This arm carries a pointer blade 18 adapted to rotate over a miles-per-hour scale 3i calibrated according to the appropriate flow rates desired for different speeds. The arm it? operates between outwardly projecting portions 8! and .82 of a yoke 83 having an upper horizontal portion bolted to an extending flange on the base of the hopper 52 directly above the bearing 63. The stud bolts, one of which is shown at E l, which hold the bearing 63 in place also secure the yoke 83. The arm 16 is provided with a stop 85 projecting on each side which engages a stop 85' in the projecting arm Bl. The stop 85 is positioned for the zero setting of the indicator blade 18 at a position at which the rotary closure member 58 is in closed position.

The opposite end of the stop 85 is arranged to engage an adjustable stop 36 in the portion 82 which is adapted to be set according to the selected rate of travel of the apparatus in making a marker line. The stop 86 is threaded in the projecting arm 32 and carries a hexagonal head 81 for turning the stop to the desired setting and a lock nut 88 for holding the stop in place. The stop 86, as illustrated in Fig. 4, is set for maximum opening although this setting may rarely be employed in actual practice, the angle of rotation of arm 16 being indicated by the angle A between the full line and dotted line positions of the arm 76 and indicator blade '18, in Fig. 4, which is approximately 37. This same angle A is indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings for the corresponding positions of the arm or lever ll. When it is desired to set the indicator blade 18 for a given opening, the lock nut 83 is released and the stop 86 screwed in or out to the desired extent. When the member 58 is in full open position its flat side 59 is substantially in line with the short side of the slot 56.

Assuming, for example, that the stop it is set for operation of the apparatus at six miles per hour and; the apparatus started, the instant the valve 42 is opened the air pressure supplied through the line 46 actuates the piston 13 in the cylinder .48 to rotate the shaft 60 and the indicator arm 16 until it engages the stop 86. The structure being rigid and heavy, the arm i6 and stop 86 therefore limit the downward movement of the piston 13 so that the closure member 458 is rotated in a clockwise direction to give the desired opening and material flow for a speed of six miles per hour. If at any time it is desired to stop the apparatus, the valve 42 is simply closed, thereby venting air from the lines 44 and 46 through a vent line 90 (Fig. 1) and permitting the spring F4 to raise the piston 13 and effect rotation of the closure member 58 in a counter-- clockwise direction to closed position. The venting of the air from the line .44 effects asimilar operation with respect to the control 38, since it cuts off the flow of paint and air to the sprayer 34.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that when the valve 42 is opened to supply air to the pipes 44 and 46, the control 38 and the control cylinder 48 are both operated simultaneously to initiate supply of paint or fluid binder material and the granular material.

The apparatus of the present invention, therefore, not only includes a novel distributor mechanism for granular material such as glass spheres and similar light-reflecting materials, but also a novel combination of apparatus for marking lines or stripes on highways and other surfaces used by motor vehicles. Such a combination includes mechanism for simultaneously and automatically initiating the supply of paint and granular material and for simultaneously discontinuing such supply.

In the marking of strips on roads according to my invention, the glass spheres referred to are of a known type which are practically microscopic in size and as they fall through the distributor hopper 6i and onto the strip of paint being formed by the spray device 34, they embed themselves slightly into the surface of the paint so that when the latter is dry or set they form a substantially permanent surface adapted to reflect light, for example, in night driving, back to the driver of a motor vehicle.

While the present apparatus is of a portable type, the particular structure of the wheels and frame is not material to the invention, and the same is true of the paint-spraying device 34 and the specific control mechanism included in the control 38. While the cylinder 48 is of an advantageous type, the two controls 3.8 and .48 may be of a different form so long as they are included in mechanism for simultaneously and automatically controlling the supp y of paint and granular material. While air pressure is a contaneously actuating the means for controlling the supply of paint and granular materials.

I claim:

1. In a portable apparatus for marking lines on highways, roads and other surfaces used by motor vehicles or other traffic, the apparatus being of the type including a frame, means mounted on the frame for applying a wet line strip of a fluid binder on the surface to be mar-lied, a container for fluid binder, and means carried by the frame for distributing granular material uniformly on the wet line strip, the improvement in which the distributing means is mounted in fixed position on the frame rearwardly of said fluid applying means, air pressure-operable means for simultaneously operating both of said means to supply fluid binder and granular material to the surface to be marked, the means for dispensing granular material comprising a hopper for holding granular material having a laterally elongated passageway extending downwardly therefrom, a horizontal rotatable closure means for said passageway, said passageway and closure means being arranged to permit a thin wide band of granular material to flow onto said wet line strip when the closure means is open, said airpressure operable means including an air supply cylinder for holding a supply of air under pressure, a control mechanism operable by air pressure from said cylinder for controlling the flow of fluid binder to the fluid binder applying means, means for conducting fiuid binder from said container to the control mechanism and for conducting fluid binder and air therefrom to the fluid binder applying means, means for conducting air from said air supply cylinder to a control valve means, an air cylinder mounted on said hopper, a piston in said air cylinder, a piston rod attached to said piston, an arm attached to said closure means and to said piston rod and operable on the supply of air to said air cylinder to open said closure means, means for conducting air from said control Valve means simultaneously to said air cylinder on the hopper and to said control mechanism to respectively cause the flow of granular material from said hopper to the wet line strip and the flow of fluid binder and air from the control mechanism to the fluid binder applying means for forming the wet line strip, said valve control means being operable to simultaneously out 01f the air supply to said control mechanism and to the air cylinder on said hopper, and a spring in said air cylinder arranged to actuate said piston when the air-pressure is released and thereby rotate said closure means to closed position.

2. A portable apparatus for marking lines on highways, roads, and other surfaces used by motor vehicles or other traffic, the apparatus being of the type including a mounting frame, means carried by said frame for applying a wet line strip of a fluid binder on the surface to be marked, a container for fluid binder and means mounted rearwardly of said means for feeding and distributing granular material uniformly on the wet line strip, the improvement in which the means for feeding and distributing granular material is mounted in fixed position on said frame and comprises a hopper for holding granular material, means forming a laterally elongated passageway extending downwardly from the hopper to direct granular material from the hopper onto the wet strip formed by the strip-applying means, a horizontal rotary closure means extending laterally along said passageway, means for biasing said closure means to closed position, said closure means when opened permitting the flow of a thin wide band of granu ar material onto the wet strip of fluid binder applied by said stripapplying means, an air pressure-operable means for simultaneously operating the strip-applying means to apply fluid binder and the rotary closure means of the means for feeding and distributing granular material to actuate said rotary closure means to open position, thereby effecting the simultaneous application of fluid binder and the flow of granular material, said pressure-operable means including an air supply cylinder for holding a supply of air under pressure, a control mechanism operable by air pressure from said cylinder for controlling the flow of fluid binder to the strip-applying means, means for conducting fluid binder from said container to the control mechanism and for conducting fluid binder and air therefrom to the strip-applying means, means for conducting air from said air supply cylinder to a control valve means, means operable by air pressure for actuating said rotary closure means to open position, and means for conducting air from said control valve means simultaneously to said means for actuating said closure means to open position and to said control mechanism to respectively cause the flow of granular material from said hopper onto said wet line strip and the flow of fluid binder and air from the control mechanism to the strip-applying means for applying said wet line strip of fluid binder, said control valve means being operable to simultaneously cut off the air supply to said control mechanism and the means for actuating said closure means to open position.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 characterized in that the means for distributing granular material comprises an air cylinder for rotating said rotary closure means toward open position, and a spring for biasing said rotary closure means toward closed position.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 characterized in that means is provided for limiting the degree of rotation toward open position of the rotary closure means, means for adjusting said limiting means to predetermine the degree of opening of the rotary closure means according to a predetermined speed at which the apparatus is to be operated.

5. In an apparatus of the type described, a distributor device for granular material comprising a hopper structure having a laterally elongated narrow passageway extending downwardly therefrom, one of the long sides of which extends to a position below the other of said sides, a rotary closure means mounted below the shorter side of the passageway, said rotary closure means being of D-shaped cross-section and presenting its flat side generally toward the longer side of said passageway, the upper longitudinal edge portion of which is adapted to engage the longer side of said passageway when the rotary closure is in closed position, an insert of rubber-like material in said longer side of said passageway in a position to be engaged by said edge of the rotary closure means when in closed position, a feltlike wiper fixed to the hopper structure and engaging the upper portion of the arcuate surfaceof the rotary closure means for preventing the granular material from flowing therearound, fluid pressure-actuable-means mounted on said hopper for rotating said closure means to open position, and means for biasing said closure means to closed position, said biasing means being operable upon release of fluid pressure from said fiuid-pressure-actuable-means to rotate said closure means to closed position.

6. An apparatus for applying beaded paint strips onto a surface which comprises paint spraying means, valve means controlling the supply of paint to the paint spraying means, a container for beads, valve means controlling the discharge of beads from said container, and a control mechanism operatively connected to both said valve means to directly and simultaneously actuate both of said valve means to cause direct and simultaneous spraying of paint and the discharge of beads, respectively.

10 7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6 including regulating means connected to the valve means for controlling the discharge of beads to limit the extent to which said valve means may be opened.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,140,436 Baumgartner May 25, 1915 1,216,449 Hodge et a1 Feb. 20, 1917 2,019,502 Osgood Nov. 5, 1935 2,069,739 Fildes et a1 Feb. 9, 1937 2,241,863 Lett May 13, 1941 2,278,948 'Rodli et a1 Apr. 7, 1942 2,317,007 'vVeniger Apr. 20, 1943 2,357,930 Clark Sept. 12, 1944 2,367,594 Madison June 16, 1945 

